The Frank Sinatra Microphone
Was there a Frank Sinatra microphone? Sure, sure – Frank Sinatra obviously used plenty of microphones. Heck, when he was first starting he used a megaphone!
But after he got his record deal with Capitol records, there was one mic that pretty much defined the Sinatra sound. And there are tons of pictures with Frank and his mic.
Okay So What Was It Already?
It was the Telefunken U47, also distributed under the different brand name of Neumann. Frank loved it so much that he insisted on using no other mic after 1950. He called it his “Telly.”
Telefunken only made the original U47 between 1946 and 1965. It was a large diaphragm tube microphone (see our post What Are The Different Types of Microphones? for more on what that means). It was different from the ribbon mics popular with singers before that time (like bing Crosby) because of what it did to enhance the sound (not merely boosting it) in the mid-range frequencies (between 400 and 2K Hz). That made the voice sound brighter and helped it cut through a full orchestra.
The mic also had two patterns you could pick from – cardioid or omnidirectional. See our post Directional and Omnidirectional Microphones – What Are They Good For? for a review of what that means). That’s fairly standard now, but at the time, it was unheard of. The U47 was the first mic to offer a switchable polar pattern. So this microphone was truly ground-breaking.
It was really popular with the big studios in its day. Because of that, the U47 helped shape the sound of lots of other famous singers. The Beatles’ producer, George Martin, used it extensively and claimed it was his favorite microphone. He used that mic to record most of Rubber Soul. Elvis, Roy Orbison, Dean Martin, and a raft of others also used it. The U47 has been hailed as the best vocal microphone in the world.
In 2020, you can’t easily get an original U47 unless you are lucky enough to find a vintage gear dealer and have about $10,000+ to spend on it. But there is good news. Not only can you find many U47 clones out there, but both Telefunken and Neumann have created modern versions of the mic.
The new Telefunken U 47 can be had from B&H for – are you ready for this? – a mere $8,495. But hey, it’s the best vocal mic in the world, right? This is essentially the exact same mic that Frank used.
Neumann has a much more affordable version, the M 147 tube mic, that uses the same K 47/49 capsule as the U47, but it doesn’t use a transformer (it is a “transformerless” design). That does change the sound quality of a mic, but it makes it much less expensive. The Neumann M 147 costs $2,899.95.
Neumann also makes the U 47 FET Collector’s Edition Condenser Microphone, which does not use a vacuum tube like the original, but rather a FET (field effect transistor). As with a transformerless version of a mic, a FET version will also change the sound somewhat. But it also makes it much more affordable. The Neumann U 47 FET costs $3,999.95.
Other U47 clones (in that they are vacuum tube, large-diaphragm condensers with switchable polar patters) out there in 2020 include the sE Electronics z5600a Tube Mic ($999.00), the Peluso P2247 ($1,899 used), and the Rode Classic II tube mic.
So if you are in the market for a mic to make you sound like Frank Sinatra, now you know what he used and have several choices to choose from, even if you aren’t going to be dropping $8, 500 for the new U47:-).
Small adjustment:
the Telefunken U47 was made by Neumann then commercialized and re-branded by Telefunken.
Yup. Thanks Tormy.
Ken
The Rode Classic II a u47 clone ?!
That’s interesting, is there a source for this info ?
I didn’t know much about either mic when I wrote the post. So everything was based on researched information. But now I can’t find the source :-P. I’ll keep looking and when I find it, I’ll comment back here. The term “clone” is often loosely used though. Someone may have compared the Classic II, being a large diaphragm tube mic (using a 6072 twin triode valve) with switchable pattern with the U47 that was also a tube LDC with switchable pattern, and called it a clone.
I believe that the mic Sinatra used at capital records and the mic in question was a U48. Same as U47 but just a different polar pattern option bidirectional vs Omni.
Small point but I think this is the case
Possibly. But most references I’ve found for his studio mic is his “Telly U47.” Could have used both I suppose.
The same remark goes for the Beatles. They rarely used a U-47, but often recorded with U-48 microphones.
I personally don’t think it matters much if it’s used in cardioid mode, but the other pattern is different: omni vs figure 8. On the other hand, I only used the Neumann U-87, U-87ai and BCM-104 a lot, and I only have had occasional access to an U-47 or U-67 in the past.
Another interesting factoid: in the early 60s “most” of the U-47s from the Abbey Road studios were sent back to Neumann to be converted to U-48 specs, so it could also be possible that the Beatles recorded many tracks with U-48s that were actually converted U-47s, making the statement in this article correct again.. 😉
Info I knew already on all fronts being a musician and studio owner. It’s good for newbies to know!